PRINCETON, N.J. (8/2/13) – Princeton head men’s track & field coach Fred Samara is pleased to announce the incoming class of 13 members that will make up the Class of 2017 for the track & field and cross country programs.

“I'm extremely pleased to welcome the incoming class to Princeton and our program,” Samara said. “The new frosh will make an immediate impact on our team, in the Ivy League and nationally as well. The class possesses great diversity and covers almost all event areas. During the 2013-2014 season we will be going for our fourth straight Ivy League Championship in cross country and in outdoor track & field. The incoming frosh will play an important role in our championship quest.”

Brent Albertson (Flanagan, Ill./Flanagan-Cornell) has competed in the Illinois state meet twice. The sprinter finished fifth in the state in the 100 and has a personal best of 10.75 in the event.

The Maine Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year, Jared Bell (Portland, Maine/Deering) joins the Princeton throwing contingent. Bell is the reigning state champion in both the shot put and the javelin. He was also the indoor state champion in the shot put and was named all-state during the indoor season. Bell boats PRs of 58-10 in the shot put, 166-7 in the javelin and 177 in the discus.

The second Gatorade Athlete of the Year in this Class is William Bertrand (Clarksburg, Md./Clarksburg). Bertrand is the Maryland Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year. The honor is notable because his senior year was his first year running cross country. The state 4A champion won by 25 seconds with the third best time in Maryland state meet history. Bertrand went on to finish 12th at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional. Outdoors he was the state champion in the 3200 at 9:29 and second in the state in the 1600 at 4:21.

Christopher Cook (Washington, D.C./Lawrenceville School) makes the short trip down 206 to Princeton from the Lawrenceville School. Cook sports PRs of 59-5 in the shot put and 161-8 in the discus. He was eighth at the New Balance Nationals indoors and fifth at the Penn Relays last year.

One of two jumpers joining the Tigers is Victor Du (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto). Du was fifth at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state championship in the high jump. Du has PRs of 6-5 in the high jump and 23-4.75 in the long jump.

Pole vaulter Benjamin Gaylord (Studio City, Calif./Harvard Westlake) was eighth at the CIF state championship. He has a PR of 15-10.

Gregory Leeper (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills) and Peter Ray Mennin (Bethlehem, Pa./Hotchkiss) joining the sprints corps. Leeper has a PR of 53.91 in the 400 hurdles and has run a 22.23 in the 200. Mennin has a PR of 21.3 in the 200 and 47.0 in the 400.

William Paulson (Tetbury, England/Pate’s Grammar School) comes across the pond to join the distance group. He represented England at the European Cross Country Championships and won the English schools title in the 1500. Paulson boasts a PR of 3:46.48 in the 1500, 1:53.70 in the 800 and 8:24.91 in the 3k.

New Yorkers Patrick Rooney (Highland Mills, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) and Stephen Rossettie (Corning, N.Y./Corning-Painted Post East) bolster the distance corps. Rooney holds three schools records at Monroe-Woodbury, in the 600, 4x8 relay and the distance medley relay. He was a member of the state championship 4x400 relay and state runner-up in the 4x800 relay. In his career, Rooney ran at the state meet in the 800, 1000 and 4x800 and competed at the New Balance Nationals in the 600, sprint medley relay and the 4x800. Rooney has PRs of 50.44 in the 400, 1:21.49 in the 600 and 1:54.34 in the 800. Rossetttie was the runner-up in the 2k steeplechase at the New Balance Nationals. He was placed third in the 1600 at the New York indoor state championship. Rossettie has a PR of 4:17.36 in the 1600, 6:01.88 in the 2k steeplechase and 9:26.59 in the 3k steeplechase.

The final sprinter to join the team is Bryant Switzer (Mansfield, Ohio/Lexington). He holds the school record in the 400 and has a PR of 48.33 in the event, while running a 22.04 in the 200. Switzer was named the Runner of the Year in his conference after winning both the 200 and 400 and placing third in the 100. He was fouth and sixth in two Ohio state meet appearances.

Jong-Min Youn (Old Tappan, N.J./Old Tappan) will focus on the hammer and discus at Princeton. He has a PR of 176 in the discus.